Federal prosecutors secured an 8-year prison sentence Wednesday for Eric Gerard McGinnis, a Texas man who used a 3D printer to bypass a court order banning him from owning guns.
McGinnis, 43, was barred from possessing firearms and ammunition for two years following a violent altercation with his partner in August 2015, but he circumvented the ban by building his own gun using various parts, including a firing mechanism made from a 3D printer, the Department of Justice recalled in a statement announcing his sentencing.
Police responding to reports of shots fired in July 2017 found McGinnis, the homemade gun and a “hit list” containing the names and addresses of various Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the statement said.
In a recorded phone call made from jail following his arrest, prosecutors said McGinnis explained to a family member how he evaded the court order.
“I didn’t buy a gun, I built the gun,” he said in the call, according to prosecutors. “The upper, I printed a lower, and I built it — installed the trigger and did all that stuff. I built it.”
McGinnis, of Dallas, was subsequently found guilty by a jury in July 2018 of possessing an unregistered firearm and unlawfully possessing ammo while subject to an active protective order.
Public defenders representing McGinnis in the case declined to comment on the sentencing when reached by The Washington Times.
“This case should send a message to prohibited persons contemplating acquiring guns by any method: this office is committed to keeping guns out of the hands of those who violate protective orders for domestic violence, no matter how the guns are obtained – by theft, purchase, or 3D printing,” said Erin Nealy Cox, a U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
Prior to assembling the partially-printed short barrel rifle, prosecutors said McGinnis attempted to purchase a gun from an authorized dealer but was denied as the result of a routine background check.
“Controls to determine if an individual is prohibited from purchasing firearms and ammunition worked,” said Jeffrey C. Boshek II, special agent in charge at the Dallas office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“Mr. McGinnis applied evolving technology to by-pass those controls to manufacture an untraceable NFA weapon.,” added Mr. Boshek. “The fact a prohibited person was able to manufacture an untraceable firearm with apparent ease and anonymity presents a significant challenge and major concern to law enforcement and our community.”
Labeled “9/11/2001 list of American Terrorist,” the hit list recovered by police arresting McGinnis was not included as evidence but presented at sentencing, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Forensic searches of his electronic devices separately recovered evidence to suggest McGinnis had a “strong interest” in James Hodgkinson, the gunman blamed for opening fire during a 2017 congressional baseball team practice and seriously injuring Rep. Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, the statement said. Hodgkinson, 66, died following a shootout with police.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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